Bored with their mundane lives, a growing number of self-styled superheroes
have donned tight-fitting costumes and taken to the streets of Britain in a
bid to fight crime.

However, many have struggled to find any outlaws to bring to justice, and some even ended up being arrested themselves.

Two vigilantes who patrolled the Devon seaside resort of Torbay, who called themselves The Dark Spartan and The Black Void, failed to discover any trouble at all.

Comic book fan Tanis Baker, 21, from South Wales, who dressed up as a masked ninja, found himself in court last year after police mistook his home-made wooden Samurai sword for a real weapon.

Some other real-life superheroes have been more successful. A blue leotard-clad avenger calling himself Angle-Grinder Man became a hero among motorists in London and Kent by offering a free wheel clamp removal service.

Members of Fathers 4 Justice, which campaigns for equal rights of access to children when parents split up, also wore superhero outfits to highlight their cause.